Scattered Puzzle Pieces (Naruto Fanfic)

Tearing Apart

 "We're going to get Gaara tested." Karura held the phone to her cheek, cradling Gaara in her arms, a bandage on the auburn haired child's forehead.

Yashamaru remained silent on the other side of the phone. "Karura, what brought this on? I thought you didn't agree with Rasa that something was wrong? Why do you sound like you're going to cry? Rasa didn't do anything to you, did he?"

The sandy haired female heard her brother's voice strain as he remained on the line, her lips pushing together. "Rasa didn't do anything. He's at work still, and doesn't know yet."

"Karura? What happened?"

Two indigo eyes looked down at the toddler, his thin frame glued to her side, where he would normally have fought to get away even from herself, as her touch set him on fire, but now Gaara found her touch to be the most comforting thing in the world. Karura let her teeth worry the bottom of her lip, remembering the day Gaara lashed out at Rasa, the hurt in her husband's eyes every single time Gaara rejected the auburn man's touch.

There were still pleasant moments between the two, like when she came home and found both of her auburn haired guys staring up at the moon, the silence quite calming compared to the awkward screaming and stubborn silences. The fact Gaara pulled himself up though proved problematic, as the toddler soon began walking, and Karura struggled with getting Gaara to not let her hand go at dangerous moments like crossing the street. The time also came to enter Gaara into preschool, and he seemed delighted to play with what the teachers gave him.

But...

"Gaara got into a fight at preschool." Karura bit down on her lip slightly, the corners of her lips creasing deeply. "I'm not sure how to tell Rasa, particularly since Gaara got hurt." Her eyes drifted over to the torn teddy bear, the one Rasa had given to Gaara, and the toddler had never really gone anywhere without.

"Is Gaara alright?"

"Gaara is fine, but teddy is not."

Yashmaru became silent for a few minutes, allowing Karura to brush away a few of Gaara's auburn locks. "The one Gaara adores? That teddy? Rasa is going to be pissed."

"I know. The other child really didn't mean to. He just wanted to see Gaara's teddy. Gaara wouldn't let go, and then when teddy tore, Gaara bit the other kid."

"He WHAT?" Yashmaru's voice began to tremble. "Karura..." The words stammered out. "Kankuro's gotten into spats with others, and they've bonked each other a bit, but this?" A whimper came from Gaara's mouth, the toddler burring his face into his mother's chest. "Is Gaara actually alright?"

"Besides the fact he couldn't stop sobbing over teddy? The other kid clobbered him on the head a few times, and..." Karura paused, clutching Gaara tighter. "... drew some blood."

"Karura, Gaara's not fine. Did you take him into the emergency room at least?"

"Yes, yes. They told me to keep an eye on him, wake him every hour. Not that hard to do, as Gaara doesn't really sleep." Karura pulled Gaara up closer, and rested the child's head against her shoulder so she could rest her cheek against his soft cheek. "It's not just this though. Gaara's still not speaking, and the preschool, they told me Gaara can't come back until tests are done. Otherwise we need to find another preschool, and it will all just happen again."

Yashmaru sighed. "Oh come on. They've not no grounds to demand tests. It's only been on incident."

"Gaara's not... it hasn't been just this." Karura pressed her lips together, her fingers tightening around the phone. "You know how Gaara is."

Another sigh came from the other side of the phone. "Not really. I mean, I know Gaara's not speaking, but there are other things?"

Karura looked at the ground, not sure how to explain Gaara's behavior. Her indigo eyes closed, remembering how many times she'd picked up her auburn haired child only to be told Gaara wasn't playing with the other children, nor following instructions given to her. Her lips pushed together as she hefted Gaara up higher. "Maybe we should have started preschool sooner."

"Nee-chan, Gaara's immune system was compromised, and then he was behind the others physically."

"Still..." Karura looked away from her small child, Gaara's small face still nestled into her shoulder, her thoughts drifting to the auburn toddler's interaction with his father and siblings. "No. It's not as simple as that. There are a lot of things. I can only pack certain things for him food wise. He's struggling."

"Calm down. Wait for Rasa to get home. Actually, I can let him know."

"No, I need to tell him."

"I got that. I can still let him know to come home early. Tell Gaara that Uncle Yashamaru loves him."

Karura continued to hold the child close, her face resting again on Gaara's cheek, her eyes taking in the torn up teddy bear, her fingers brushing through the auburn locks on Gaara's head. She finally went and sat down, her lips pushing together as she turned on the television so Gaara could watch the television. His eyes drifted to the cartoon, and stayed focus, his small body relaxing. Karura didn't relax until Rasa came through the door, and she saw the pain in Rasa's dark brown eyes.

"He's staring off at nothing again."

"I know. There was an incident at the preschool today."

"You look tired. Mind if I sit with Gaara for a bit?" The auburn haired man brushed away locks of his hair when Karura flinched. "I won't try to hold him."

"I'll get you some tea." Karura headed back to the kitchen, watching the tea steep before returning. She stopped upon seeing Rasa chat away at Gaara despite the toddler's eyes being glued to the television. The auburn haired man noticed her, and looked up at her indigo colored eyes.

Rasa sighed. "I was hoping he would talk, his first word being mommy. It would cheer you up, wouldn't."

"You don't want him to say daddy? Temari's first word was mommy you know, and Kankuro's was poopy head." The smile fled Karura's lips as her husband let out a sigh. "It's time. To get Gaara tested, like you want. He is supposed to start first grade next year."

The distance seemed to keep growing.